Eneida de Moraes Marcílio Cerqueira

Sobrepeso e obesidade infantil: influência de fatores biológicos e ambientais em Feira de Santana, BA

Childhood overweight and obesity have a high prevalence and multifactorial character. To determine the influence of biological and environmental factors in their development, a cross-sectional study was performed with 699 children, ranging from 5 to 9 years of age, from the public and private schools in the urban area of Feira de Santana, BA. Overweight and obesity were defined as body-mass index > the 85th and 95th percentiles for age and gender, respectively. Interviews with the childrens responsible were used to determine the influence of these factors. It was observed as statistic significance for the development of both conditions: high level of parents education and income, being an only child, studying at private school, having household appliances and using computers. The white ethnic group was related only to overweight. There was an inverse association regarding school flunking and practice of systematic physical activity. The odds ratio showed a predictive and independent association with studying at private school and being an only child. In conclusion there was an influence of biological and environmental factors in the development of childhood overweight and obesity, confirming the multifactorial etiology of these conditions.

Prevalência de sobrepeso e obesidade infantil na cidade de Feira de Santana-BA: detecção na família x diagnóstico clínico

OBJECTIVES: to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children attending public and private schools in the urban area of Feira de Santana-BA; to evaluate both the perception of excessive weight gain by guardians and the prevalence of treatment of those children. METHOD: cross-sectional study with 699 children, whose age ranged from 5 to 9 years old, attending public and private schools of Feira de Santana-BA in 2001. Overweight was defined as body mass index (BMI) > 85th percentile and obesity as BMI > 95th percentile both for age and gender. The level of perception of childrens excessive weight gain by guardians was evaluated by means of individual interviews. RESULTS: total prevalence rates were 9.3% for overweight and 4.4% for obesity, without statistically significant difference among age and gender. White ethnic group was related only to overweight. Prevalence for overweight and obesity was, respectively, 6.5% and 2.7% for public schools and 13.4% and 7.0% for private ones. Guardians suspected that 11.7% of the children presented excessive weight gain. Only 11.1% of them were submitted to treatment. A percentage of 22.2% of these treatments were performed by specialized professionals. CONCLUSIONS: the prevalence of overweight and obesity was high and similar to some studies in Brazil; even though excessive weight gain can be recognized by childrens guardians, they are not aware of the necessity of treatment.

Contribution of periodontal disease in pregnant women as a risk factor for low birth weight

UNLABELLED Starting in the 1990s, several authors sought to investigate the hypothesis that periodontitis during pregnancy may contribute towards the birth of low-weight children. However, this relationship is still not well established. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether this oral infection is associated with this gestational event. METHODS This was a case-control study among 548 puerperae, of whom 164 were the mothers of low-weight live births (case group) and 384 were the mothers of live births of normal gestational weight (control group). They were selected at two public hospital units in two municipalities in the State of Bahia. From interviews and data gathered using live birth cards or birth certificates, information was obtained regarding age, height, previous diseases, marital status, socioeconomic situation, smoking and alcohol use. Mothers who presented at least four teeth on which one or more sites had a probing depth of greater than or equal to 4 mm, clinical attachment loss of greater than or equal to 3 mm and bleeding on probing, at the same site, were deemed to present periodontal disease. The data were analysed by stratification from logistic regression. RESULTS Periodontal disease was diagnosed in 42.7% of the case group and 30% of the control group. A statistically significant association was found between periodontal disease and low birth weight (unadjusted OR = 1.74; 95% CI: 1.19-2.54), particularly among mothers with low schooling levels (adjusted OR = 2.30; 95% CI: 1.14-4.6). CONCLUSION The findings suggest an association between periodontal disease and low birth weight among mothers with low education levels.

Genotoxic effects of vehicle traffic pollution as evaluated by micronuclei test in tradescantia (Trad-MCN)

The quality of life in large urban centers is directly affected by the air quality there. Atmospheric monitoring is therefore imperative, and bioassays using plant models to detect the effects of genotoxic agents are recognized as giving excellent results. The present study utilized Trad-MCN to evaluate the genotoxic effects of atmospheric pollutants in the city of Feira de Santana, Bahia State, Brazil, in three locations with varying traffic loads. Inflorescences were collected on a monthly basis from plants growing in these locations in both passive and active monitoring regimes. The occurrence of micronuclei (MCN) was found to be proportional to vehicular flux under both monitoring regimes; with the plants being accompanied by active monitoring demonstrating the greatest sensitivity to atmospheric contamination. The results indicated that locations with the most intense vehicular traffic demonstrated significant atmospheric contamination by pollutants able to damage DNA.

Evaluation of mutagenic effects of formocresol: detection of DNA-protein cross-links and micronucleus in mouse bone marrow.

OBJECTIVE The genotoxic potential of formocresol was assessed by comet assay on human peripheral blood lymphocytes and in vivo micronucleus in mice. STUDY DESIGN Peripheral blood lymphocytes, obtained from healthy donors, were exposed directly with different dilutions of formocresol for 45 minutes at 37 degrees C. To verify the possibility of formocresol to induce DNA-protein cross-links, treated lymphocytes were incubated with proteinase K. Micronucleus test was performed on male Swiss mice treated with several dilutions of formocresol by single intraperitoneal injection. After treatment, bone marrow was sampled 24 and 48 hours after formocresol administration. RESULTS Formocresol did not produce detectable DNA damage as evaluated by comet assay. However, after proteinase K exposure, a dose-dependent increase of DNA migration was observed. Formocresol induced a significant increase in micronucleus frequencies at the highest dilution only at 24 hours after administration. CONCLUSION Formocresol induced DNA-protein cross-links and an increased frequency of micronucleus.

Does Periodontal Infection Have an Effect on Severe Asthma in Adults

BACKGROUND The effect of periodontal infection on systemic diseases and conditions has been the subject of numerous studies worldwide. It is considered that periodontitis may influence the hyperinflammatory response in patients with severe asthma as a result of immuno-inflammatory changes. This study aims to evaluate the influence of periodontitis on severe asthma in adults. METHODS A case-control study was carried out, comprising 220 adult individuals: 113 diagnosed with asthma (case group) and 107 without asthma diagnosis (control group). The diagnosis of periodontitis was established after a full clinical examination using probing depth, clinical attachment level, and bleeding on probing. The diagnosis of severe asthma was based on the criteria recommended by the Global Initiative of Asthma (2012). Descriptive analyses of the variables were performed, followed by bivariate analyses, using the χ(2) test. Association measurements (odds ratio [OR]), with and without adjustment for potential confounders, were obtained. A significance level of 5% was used. RESULTS The ORunadjusted for the main association was 4.38 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.47 to 7.75). In the logistic regression model, after adjusting for age, education level, osteoporosis, smoking habit, and body mass index, the ORadjusted was 4.82 (95% CI = 2.66 to 8.76), which was statistically significant. Individuals with periodontal infection showed, approximately, five times more likelihood to have bronchial inflammation than those without such periodontal tissue infection. CONCLUSION The findings demonstrate the influence of periodontitis on severe asthma, given that the frequency of periodontitis is higher in individuals with severe asthma than in those without a diagnosis of bronchial inflammation.

Porphyromonas gingivalis HmuY-induced production of interleukin-6 and IL-6 polymorphism in chronic periodontitis.

BACKGROUND In chronic periodontitis (CP), the gene polymorphism of interleukin-6 (IL-6) to 174C/G has been associated with the altered production of this cytokine. The aim of this pilot study is to compare the allelic and genotypic frequencies in patients with CP with control individuals without periodontitis (NP) and to measure the production of IL-6 by whole blood cells stimulated with Porphyromonas gingivalis HmuY protein. METHODS DNA was isolated from peripheral blood cells of 49 patients with CP and 60 control individuals classified as NP, and genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction using sequence-specific primers. Whole blood cells from 29 patients with CP and 30 control individuals were stimulated for 48 hours with HmuY, and IL-6 levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS The proportion of individuals carrying the G allele at position -174 of the IL-6 gene was higher in the group with CP (85.7%) than in the normal control group (73.3%; P <0.03). P. gingivalis HmuY-induced production of IL-6 was higher in the group with CP (P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that P. gingivalis HmuY may be associated with increased IL-6 production during CP. Furthermore, patients with periodontitis and individuals with higher HmuY-induced production of IL-6 show a high frequency of the G allele at position -174.

Periodontitis and nosocomial lower respiratory tract infection: preliminary findings.

AIM To evaluate the possible association between periodontitis and nosocomial lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI). MATERIAL AND METHODS A case-control study was conducted at a General Hospital in Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil. The sample consisted of 103 individuals: 22 cases (presence of nosocomial LRTI) and 81 controls (absence of nosocomial LRTI). The diagnosis of periodontitis was based on probing depth, gingival recession, clinical attachment loss and bleeding on probing. The diagnosis of nosocomial LRTI was made in accordance with established medical criteria. RESULTS Invasive ventilation was much more frequent in cases (95.5%) than in controls (7.4%). An orotracheal tube was used in 81.8% of cases and in 7.4% of controls; bronchoaspiration was suspected in 81.8% of cases and in 6.2% of controls. There was no statistically significant difference in any of the clinical periodontal parameters between cases and controls. The crude odds ratio (OR) value for individuals with periodontitis having LRTI was not statistically significant [OR(crude)=1.70; 95% confidence interval:(0.60-4.87)]. After including age, smoking and duration of hospitalization in the logistic regression, the adjusted OR for individuals with periodontitis having LRTI was statistically significant [OR(adjusted)=3.67 (1.01-13.53); p=0.049]. CONCLUSIONS A marginal association between periodontitis and LRTI was found when smoking, age and length of hospitalization were included as covariates. Patients with LRTI had a high frequency of suspected bronchoaspiration and this could explain the possible association of periodontal disease and LRTI found in this and other studies. Additional studies are needed to further clarify the possible relationship between periodontal disease and LRTI.

Periodontal therapy for pregnant women and cases of low birthweight: An intervention study

Background:  Over the past decade, strong evidence for an association between maternal periodontitis and low birthweight has started to appear. However, few intervention studies have been proposed for investigating this hypothesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether periodontal therapy among pregnant women would reduce the incidence of low birthweight.

Effect of osteoporosis on periodontal therapy among post-menopausal women

OBJECTIVE This intervention study aimed to investigate the effect of osteoporosis on periodontal condition among 48 post-menopausal women undergoing periodontal therapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS The experimental group, which underwent non-surgical periodontal therapy, was composed of 16 women with periodontitis to be treated, and the control group was formed by 32 women without periodontitis. Oral condition was assessed on three occasions: at the start of the treatment (first examination), 1 month (first re-examination) and 4 months after the end of the therapy (second re-examination). In the second re-examination, recurrence of periodontal disease was evaluated by comparing the clinical measurements obtained pre- and post-treatment. The diagnosis of osteoporosis was made by investigating densitometry reports obtained previously. Descriptive analysis, analysis of variance and the Bonferroni post hoc test were applied to the data gathered, with statistical significance level of 5%. RESULTS The frequency of periodontitis was 50% in the treated group and 25% in the group without periodontitis. In both groups, this recurrence was greater in subjects with osteoporosis (37.5 and 18.75%, respectively) than in the individuals without osteoporosis (12.5 and 6.25%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS The preliminary results indicate that osteoporosis possibly has an influence on periodontal condition among individuals undergoing non-surgical periodontal treatment.